‘Docu Insight’ explores the story of Korean chefs challenging New York, the world’s top gourmet stage.
In December 2014, ‘Jungsik New York’ achieved Michelin 3-star status, becoming the first Korean restaurant in the U.S. to receive this honor. This marked the official recognition of Korean cuisine at the pinnacle of global fine dining.
In addition to ‘Jungsik New York,’ fine dining Korean restaurants like Jua and Meju have swept Michelin awards, establishing themselves not as ‘exotic cuisine,’ but as a staple of New York fine dining. What drove Korean fine dining to the heart of New York’s culinary scene?
In a city renowned for its culinary excellence, New York hosts thousands of restaurants. Here, chefs have embarked on their culinary journeys, not with grand plans, but with the spirit of ‘Let’s give it a try.’
To continue their endeavors, Korean chefs in New York have refused to adapt their cooking to Western norms. They focus on preserving the balance and healing qualities of Korean cuisine, maintaining traditional methods and flavors, fermenting with authentic ingredients, and sharing the cultural essence of Korean side dishes.
Among the only 14 Michelin 3-star restaurants in America, ‘Jungsik New York’ features kimbap as its signature dish, rather than truffles, caviar, or foie gras.
Michelin 3-star Chef Jung Sik Lim describes kimbap as ‘a food full of stories,’ reinterpreting it as a complete fine dining course instead of a simple snack.
The chef-owner of New York’s Korean restaurant ‘Okdongsik’ states, ‘All our chefs share the belief that we must work the fields and understand the inherent value of the ingredients ourselves before our guests can.’
Korean chefs in New York have returned to the basics by focusing on ‘ingredients.’ To secure stable supplies of authentic Korean ingredients, they manage their own farms, ferment pastes, and cultivate peppers, sesame leaves, green onions, radishes, perilla seeds, and deodeok, which are hard to find in the U.S., continuing Korean culinary roots in New York.
Having once begun as outsiders on New York’s world-class gourmet stage, Korean chefs now consider what legacy they can leave in the city. ‘Super Dining: Korean Chefs in New York’ explores the current state and integration of Korean fine dining in this city.
The episode of ‘Docu Insight – Super Dining: Korean Chefs in New York’ airs on the 22nd at 10 PM.
